1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece having a plurality of functions for displaying displays showing states of setting these functions on a display portion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, according to an electronic timepiece having a plurality of functions of an alarm function, a timer function, a stopwatch (chronograph) function and the like, not only time is displayed on a display portion but also marks indicating states of setting these functions, that is, states of ON/OFF are simultaneously displayed. FIG. 9 shows a display in a state in which a chronograph mode is selected in a conventional electronic timepiece. In FIG. 9, a chronograph 51 and current time 52 are displayed on a display portion 50. Further, a summer time mark 53 indicating an ON state of setting summer time, an alarm mark 54 indicating an ON state of an alarm function, a confirming sound mark 55 indicating an ON state of a confirming sound or a time informing sound function in operating an operation button (not illustrated) of an electronic timepiece and a lamp mark 56 indicating an ON state of lamps for illuminating the display portion, are turned on. In this case, there are functions other than the functions represented by the turned-on marks and these functions indicate an OFF state, that is, a state in which marks representing these functions are turned off.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a displaying processing of the alarm mark 54 in the conventional electronic timepiece. The displaying processing is one of periodical display updating processings which are carried out in respect of all of displays on the display portion 50. In reference to FIG. 10, it is firstly determined whether the alarm function is set to ON (step S201). When the alarm function is set to ON at step S201, the alarm mark 54 is turned on (step S202) and the processing in the flowchart is finished. When the alarm function is not set to ON at step S201, the alarm mark 54 is turned off (step S203) and the processing in the flowchart is finished.
In respect of marks with regard to other functions of the confirming sound mark 55, the lamp mark 56 and so on, processings similar to that in the flowchart of FIG. 10 are repeatedly carried out. By the displays of these marks, it can be easily determined what function is currently made ON in the electronic timepiece.
Further, according to the conventional electronic timepiece, for example, the alarm function is a function dependent on current time and accordingly, it is not appropriate to operate the function during a time period in which a time correcting mode for correcting time is selected and an operation of correcting time is being carried out and in this case, even when the alarm function is set to ON, the ON state is forcibly changed into the OFF state and simultaneously, the alarm mark is turned off.
According to the conventional electronic timepiece explained above, in the case in which a number of functions are provided and the functions are set to the ON state, a number of marks or the like displayed on the display portion becomes also large. In the case in which when the electronic timepiece is used by setting a large number of the provided functions to the ON state, a function needing continuous visual recognition of the display portion, for example, the chronograph function or the like is realized, function marks are turned on other than that of the chronograph display portion to which attention is to be paid and the visual recognition performance is not necessarily regarded as excellent.
Particularly, in the case of an electronic timepiece of a portable type such as a wrist watch or the like, a display region of the display portion is limited and the above-described problem of the visual recognition performance becomes significant. For example, when the chronograph display and the current time display are simultaneously displayed at positions different from each other, it is difficult to instantaneously discriminate them from each other since shapes of these displays are similar to each other. Further, monochromatic liquid crystals are frequently used as the display portion and in recognizing visually the display of the chronograph or the like which is repeatedly updated continuously and at high speed, function marks turned on at a surrounding of the chronograph display portion are not necessarily be needed.
The present invention has been carried out in view of inconvenience provided in the conventional technology and it is an object of the invention to provide an electronic timepiece for promoting visual recognition performance when a function needing visual recognition of a display portion continuously such as the chronograph function or the like is realized.